Nothing Gold Can Stay
by TheKanon
Summary: In the Reaper War, no one is spared the pain of loss. This is especially true for those who serve on the front lines. Male Batarian/Male Human pairing. Slash. Rated for strong language and mature content.


**A/N: **Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware. OC's are my own creation.

_Noveria, 2186 CE_

The mission had gone to hell.

A simple N7 Spec Ops retrieval operation for lost intel at a Cerberus base in Noveria's northern hemisphere should have been a cakewalk for the four highly trained operatives assigned to complete the task. They retrieved the intel, and prepared to fight a small Cerberus resistance force while waiting for extraction.

They weren't prepared for the massive Reaper force that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Shiala, an Asari Justicar with 7 centuries of experience, took a bullet to the head before she even knew what hit her. Xaleryn, a Turian tech expert, was ripped apart by Ravager missiles before she could even activate her tech armor. Only Michael, the squad's human biotic, and Dahrek, the demolitions expert, were left standing after a well-placed inferno grenade by the batarian that allowed them to escape to the facility's main entryway.

"I'm running low on thermal clips!" Michael yelled, desperately throwing warp fields to hold back their attackers.

"Me too! I- Fuck!" Dahrek cried out as a Marauder bullet broke through his shields and slammed into his shoulder. Another bullet ripped into his calf, knocking him onto the floor.

"Dammit!" Michael cursed. He grabbed the batarian's arm and dragged him into cover, shields barely holding as Marauder and Cannibal bullets ripped into them. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. But damn, I'm out of medigel packs!" Dahrek gasped, shoulder and leg throbbing.

"Fuck it all to hell! I am too. You think you can run? Shuttle's two minutes out!"

"Yeah, let's get mov-" A ravager missile impacted the crates the pair was hiding behind, knocking them both backwards a few yards.

"Fuck," Michael coughed. He scrambled to his feet, sent a biotic shockwave into an approaching husk, and grabbed Dahrek's forearm, pulling him behind the last pile of steel crates on the main entryway. A thick haze of bullets whizzed past them and into the crates, creating a deafening _thwang thwang thwang._

"There's too many of them!" Dahrek yelled. "Dammit, I've got no more grenades!"

"Shit," Michael cursed. They were surrounded and almost entirely out of ammo. If they tried to break cover and make a run for it, they would most certainly be gunned down before they even reached the extraction point.

"Dahrek..." Michael said in a grave tone.

"What is it? Got any bright ideas on how to get out of this shithole?"

"...Get to the LZ with the intel. I'll hold them back."

"What? There's no fucking way I'm leaving you here!" Dahrek protested.

"If you don't get out of here, we'll BOTH be dead! Now GO!" Michael angrily pushed back on Dahrek's breastplate, forcing the wounded Batarian backwards. A haze of biotics flared up around Michael, and with a cry of effort, he pushed the energy forward, creating a large blue barrier of energy that absorbed the incoming Reaper fire.

"Michael!"

"Please Dahrek... just go. I don't know how long I can keep this up- AHHH!" Michael's nerves flared with pain as the barrier took a hit from a Ravager missile. "Gah... Dahrek... please..." he pleaded.

Dahrek, woozy from blood loss, looked into the strained face of his comrade. His best friend. His lover. Pale blue eyes that once sparkled with laughter were now strained with fear, sadness, and desperation. But behind all that, Dahrek could still see the love that Michael held for him. _Him_, a killer, a scumbag Omega merc, and a Batarian to boot. But none of that mattered to Michael. What mattered was that they were there for each other, cared for each other, and found comfort in each other during the long nights of this hellish war the Reapers had wrought, never knowing when the next battle would be their last.

_They were lying in their shared bunk on the _S.S.V. Hokkaido. _Dahrek's large, tattooed muscular arms were wrapped around Michael's lean, muscular frame, face buried in the crook of the latter's neck. He nipped tentatively at the soft human flesh, then licked at it with his tongue. _

"_Mhhhmmm... Dahrek..." Michael moaned. "Again? But I was just starting to fall asleep..."_

"_There'll be plenty of time for that later. We've still got 30 standard hours 'til we hit Noveria. Besides..." Dahrek's mouth moved lower to nip at the human's shoulder, "it'll be a long time 'til we get the crew quarters all to ourselves again." He smirked suggestively as Michael gave him an exasperated look. _

"_You insatiable bastard." Michael growled. That remark earned him a slap on the rear from the batarian, eliciting a surprised yelp from Michael's lips. Dahrek smirked as he felt his lover growing hard once again. Feeling his own member hardening, he rolled over and pinned the smaller man beneath him, admiring his muscular back and ass, to which he promptly gave another slap. _

"_Ugh... you're going to be the death of me, you know that?" Michael moaned breathily._

"_Now now, that wouldn't be any fun, would it?" Dahrek said, four eyes narrowing teasingly._

"_Just shut up and fuck me."_

"_Gladly," Dahrek said as he leaned down to kiss his human deeply._

"Dahrek!"

A final rough shove to his breastplate brought the batarian back to reality. Michael's biotic barrier was weakening, and Dahrek knew that he didn't have long until it broke.

"_This is Falcon 3, coming in hot to the LZ! We need you here now!"_

"Michael..." Dahrek faltered.

"Dahrek, you fucking selfish bastard! You get to that shuttle NOW! If you don't, we'll have all died here in vain! Now GO!"

"Fuck!" Dahrek yelled in frustration. Tears streaming down his face, the batarian jogged as best he could to the waiting shuttle. The co-pilot hoisted him inside.

"_This is Falcon 3, intel secure. Proceeding with exfil_._"_

"NO!" Dahrek screamed. "Our guy is still out there! We can't leave him!"

"His barrier is the only thing protecting us right now! We _have _to go!" The co-pilot yelled back. The biotic barrier was flickering, signaling that Michael's strength had almost run out.

"_Exfil complete, returning to the _S.S.V. Hokkaido."

The shuttle began to lift off. Dahrek made way to jump off the shuttle deck but strong hands held him back.

"NO! Fuck you you human bastards! You can't do this! MICHAEL!"

Dahrek could still see him, on his knees, still trying to maintain the last shreds of his barrier. To protect them until the very end. The reapers were almost on top of him. The shuttle doors began to close.

"MICHAEL!"

For an instant, time seemed to freeze, and Michael turned his head towards the shuttle, his gaze meeting Dahrek's for a final time.

"_I love you," _he mouthed.

The shuttle doors slammed shut.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!


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